In this episode Celeste speaks with Melanie Cyr, an IFBB Bikini Pro from Canada with a degree in family medicine, who has been practicing since 2017. Melanie found competing while looking for a challenge and her “one and done” mentality led her to finding a love for the sport and a desire to become a professional athlete.  Celeste and Melanie dive into Melanie’s career as a physician and how she decided to get into bodybuilding while also trying to start her medical practice. Melanie shares what her schedule was like while in med school and how she realized she had fallen into some unhealthy habits due to the demands of the curriculum. She started following a meal plan and workout regimen as a means of being an example for her patients and ultimately found competing, thus finding a way to make both her work and school schedules harmonize. Celeste and Melanie talk about time management and the commitment and discipline that both med school and bodybuilding require. Melanie discusses her long “roller coaster competition season” in 2019, sharing if she ever experienced burnout. Celeste and Melanie then dive deeper into her experiences competing at the Ben Weider, her and her coach’s peaking process, and how she dealt with the weight of expectations from friends and family. Melanie walks listeners through her competing journey to her pro card and shares the feedback she’s working towards for her pro debut. The conversation shifts into training and Melanie shares how she gets the most out of her workouts and what she’s done to really transform her physique, given that she is not the most genetically gifted. Celeste asks Melanie to share what she feels are the biggest differences between competing in the US and Canada, and in drug tested shows vs non-drug tested shows. Melanie also talks about her career as a doctor and her views on the sport of bodybuilding from a physicians perspective. She also shares how she empathizes with her patients when they express they don’t have time to make healthy habit and lifestyle changes. Melanie shares what her patients have taught her over the years and how she has evolved as a physician to encourage and support her patients the best way possible. Finishing up the episode, Melanie shares strategies to have longevity in bodybuilding, and also gives her best advice for novice competitors and for the girls on their road to pro. Topics Covered: -What type of athletes should consider bodybuilding -Starting her practice while competing -Expectations from friends and family -Getting the most out of your workouts -Natural show experiences -Opinions on bodybuilding from a doctor -Habits that promote longevity in bodybuilding CONNECT WITH MELANIE: https://www.instagram.com/melly_cyr/ CONNECT WITH CELESTE:  https://www.instagram.com/celestial_fit/ Time Stamps: [0:45] Celeste introduces Melanie. [1:30] Melanie shares her pre stage ritual. [3:00] Celeste asks Melanie how she’s handled defeat and criticism. [6:45] Melanie shares her beginnings in bodybuilding while also starting her medical practice. [9:30] Celeste asks Melanie if the mindset & discipline required in her studies helped her in bodybuilding. [11:20] Melanie shares her opinion on what type of people are and are not cut out for bodybuilding. [14:40] Melanie talks about her life in improvement season vs during prep. [17:05] Celeste asks Melanie if she ever felt burnt out during her long 2019 competition season. [20:25] Celeste asks Melanie how the peaking process & expectations from friends & family differed going into the Ben Weider show. [24:20] Celeste asks Melanie what differed going into the show where she won her pro card. [26:20] Melanie shares how she felt winning her pro card, given that she didn’t feel it was her best physique. [27:20] Melanie shares feedback she received after turning pro.  [31:50] Celeste asks Melanie what she’s doing to stay ready for her pro debut, despite ongoing show cancelations. [35:00] Mel